The lights are low. The wine, uncorked. Beat­ generation Italian jazz fills the room. Smart. Seductive. Mischievous. It grabs at you urgently – makes you want to drive around dangerous curves at top speeds....take a new lover...start smoking. But the music isn’t from La Dolce Vita. It’s new music. Daniela Nardi’s Espresso Manifesto. If the music has captivated you and you want more, then Nardi’s experiment, Espresso Manifesto has worked.

Launched in 2009, Espresso Manifesto is more than a creative exploration. It’s a mission. Nardi, the award ­winning Italian-­Canadian singer/songwriter/producer created Espresso Manifesto to “discover, showcase and reinterpret the scintillating spirit of Italian music and culture.”

Nardi’s Espresso Manifesto is a primarily jazz influenced ensemble. It’s infused with an earthy, hip, groovy, playful, passionate energy. Nardi explores these with every album she records and every concert she sings. This vast collection of undiscovered musical gems spans everything from warm emotions to the dark underbelly of the human psyche. It has universal appeal. Daniela Nardi’s Espresso Manifesto transcends all cultural and language barriers.

Artistic curiosity and musical versatility are nothing new for Daniela Nardi. Her career has encompassed a remarkable range of activities: Singer, songwriter, DJ, film composer, radio show host, actor. She has also recently taken up the mantle of the Founder/Artistic Director of Espresso Manifesto’s Salone di Cultura. The Salone is a culture series that showcases contemporary Italian & Italian-Canadian artists/creators. They nurture the cultural exchange between Canada, Italy and the sizeable Italian diaspora.

CANTO means “I sing” in Italian. Released in late 2015 and recorded between Naples and Toronto, is a lush and intoxicating collection. Nardi applies her sublime interpretive skills to 10 timeless songs by some of Italy’s greatest jazz and pop composers. (these songs remain largely and inexplicably undiscovered by North American audiences). And she does this in three different languages: Italian, French and English. Nardi also brings her songwriting craft to an original contribution, Amami Ancora (“Love Me Still”- more below). Nardi gives these gems a timeless spin. Her fluid, expressive vocals blend perfectly with the organic instrumental arrangements. Elements of blues, soul, and bossa nova give the album a refreshing mix of old-world romantic and modernist cool.

CANTO is no simple exercise in nostalgia. It shows how transcendent great songs can be, despite time and language. CANTO is intimate and universal, Exotic and sophisticated. CANTO takes the remarkable achievements of Daniela Nardi’s previous album, The Songs of Paolo Conte, to lofty and inspired new heights.

Critics and reviewers globally sang the praises for Nardi’s The Songs of Paolo Conte. The album is an homage to the legendary Italian Singer/Songwriter, known for his whiskey-and-smoke tinged voice. Going where no woman has gone before, Nardi has taken the music of Conte and turned his originals on their head. She made them her own with her sensitive and remarkable interpretations. It was a top pick with Jazz and World music lovers. #1 and #2 on music charts through Canada and the US. Rave reviews from JazzTimes and JazzWeekly. “Best World Artist” nominations for 2014 & 2015 for the Toronto Independent Music Awards.

Going back in time, Nardi’s 2008 release The Rose Tattoo (Minerva Road) was inspired by her mother Rose’s four year battle with cancer. This profound recording marked a watershed for Nardi. It received wide international acclaim. It led to Nardi’s winning the Canadian Smooth Jazz Award for “Female Vocalist of the Year,” and the “Readers Pick Award” for Best Female Vocalist in the prestigious arts-savvy Now Magazine “Best of Toronto” awards.

The Rose Tattoo was preceded by her pop-jazz solo album One True Thing (2005/Minerva Road). With both words and music (and piano playing) by Nardi herself, One True Thing gained considerable airplay. It charted strongly. It earned Nardi a Best Group nomination at the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards.

Fluent in English and Italian, Daniela Nardi began her musical journey studying piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music. British pop music of the 80’s led her to take up bass guitar and embrace songwriting. She earned a music degree at Toronto’s York University and honed her live performance skills playing everything from pop to punk, from Latin to country. Now her focus is the Italian song book. And there is more in the works.

Romantic. Hip. Groovy. Muted. Earthy. Sensual. Intense. Playful. Electric. Passionate. Authentic. Maverick. Soulful. Daniela Nardi and her Espresso Manifesto has been called all of these. She is all of these qualities. And more. Every song, every note she delivers hits the aural G-spot. Watching Nardi and her Espresso Manifesto unfold promises to be a thrilling experience. Fasten your seat belts.